• South Carolina politicians are active in Washington amid a government shutdown and upcoming 2026 elections.
• A new poll shows a tight Republican gubernatorial race, while Sen. Lindsey Graham leads in the Senate primary.
• Republicans and Democrats in the state’s congressional delegation blame each other for the ongoing shutdown.

A temporary spending plan to get the government back up and running continues to stall out in the Senate as the shutdown becomes one of the longest in U.S. history.

South Carolina’s politicians have been active in Washington D.C. and at home advocating for an end to the shutdown. Many of these same politicians are also in the midst of campaigns as the 2026 governor’s race, Senate and congressional elections all approach.

This week’s About Politics takes a look at how South Carolina’s members of Congress are pushing to end a shutdown, new polling numbers ahead of the election, and a key endorsement one House member earned from the president.

New poll on the gubernatorial and Senate races

Quantus Insights, a polling and election forecasting organization, conducted a survey of South Carolina Republican voters ahead of next year’s gubernatorial race. Their poll of 600 registered Republican voters show tight margins between three Republican candidates: Attorney General Alan Wilson, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (District 1).

According to the Oct. 7 poll, the majority of surveyed Republican voters are still unsure who they support as South Carolina’s next governor with 35% of respondents stating they are undecided. About 17% said they support Evette’s campaign compared to Mace’s and Wilson’s 16%.

U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman (SC-District 5), racked up 11% of support from survey takers while State Sen. Josh Kimbrell (SC- District 11) earned 5%.

Quantus Insights also surveyed the 600 registered Republican voters on the 2026 Senate race.

Three Republicans are running in the Senate primary race so far: Graham, Greenville businessman Mark Lynch and Project 2025 author Paul Dans.

About 58% of survey respondents said they support Graham’s campaign compared to 15% who support Lynch and 7% who support Dans. About a fifth of the survey respondents said they are still undecided on who they support for Senate.

Lindsey Graham addresses shutdown on Meet the Press

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R- South Carolina, appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Oct. 12, where he spoke to host Kristen Welker about several topics, including wars overseas and the government shutdown.

Welker asked Graham if he supports the mass federal worker layoffs announced by the Trump administration during the shutdown, to which Graham said that decisions have to be made when there is no money coming in. He also said he opposed to the continued healthcare subsidies — the core of the spending plan disagreements.

More: WATCH: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham addresses government shutdown during Greenville visit

“To my Democratic friends, I am not going to vote to extend these subsidies,” Graham said. “Let’s have a rational discussion, but not with the government shutdown. It’s up to you.”

Outcry over impacts of shutdown on military families

The U.S. government shutdown has surpassed its second week, and one of the most direct impacts of a shutdown is to military families whose military paychecks were in limbo. Some received pay on Oct. 15, while other service members did not.

Twenty seven Republican members of Congress, including South Carolina Reps. William Timmons (SC- District 4), Joe Wilson (SC-District 2) and Sheri Biggs (SC-District 3), wrote a letter to Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Oct. 15, urging him to pass a temporary spending plan to help military families. The letter called out the furlough of more than 334,000 Department of Defense civilian employees and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ limited operations.

“You have made it clear to the American people that shutting down the government is justified in pursuit of your political ends, regardless of the cost to military readiness and the well-being of servicemembers and veterans,” the letter stated. “Your political tactics are putting military members, veterans, and their families at risk.”

The government shutdown has reached a 16th day, making it tied for the third longest shutdown in U.S. history. A Senate vote on a House-passed spending plan failed for the 10th time on Oct. 16.

Clyburn responds to continued shutdown

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, South Carolina’s only Democratic member of Congress, has refuted his peer’s statements that Democrats are responsible for the shutdown. Clyburn posted on X stating that the Trump administration is using the shutdown as a way to fire federal works and halt government services, while placing the blame on Democrats.

“The Trump Admin. is using the shutdown as a pretext to arbitrarily fire federal workers and upend government services while simultaneously blaming Democrats for federal workers going without pay,” Clyburn stated. “Trump and Republicans are responsible for the shutdown, firings, and chaos. Period.”Clyburn has also been a firm advocate for continuing health care subsidies under the American Rescue Plan Act, saying that without them, South Carolina families will suffer.

“$2,571. That’s how much health care premiums will increase next year for an average family of four in South Carolina on a healthcare.gov plan,” Clybrun posted. “Democrats want to end this shutdown and prevent that from happening. Republicans should join us.”

President Trump endorses Timmons’ campaign

President Donald Trump posted his endorsement of Timmon’s reelection campaign on Truth Social on Oct. 14. Timmons was elected to serve the 4th Congressional District in November 2018 and is up for reelection in the 2026 midterms.

Trump wrote in the post that Timmons knows what it takes to ensure law and order and is a strong supporter of the military and law enforcement. He also commended Timmons’ stance on tax cuts, border security and second amendment rights.

“Congressman William Timmons is doing a truly fantastic job representing the wonderful people of South Carolina’s 4th Congressional District,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Oct. 14. “William Timmons has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” 

South Carolina senators back restrictions for medication abortions

Graham led a group of 50 other Republican senators, including Sen. Tim Scott, in writing a letter to the Food and Drug Administration that called for a greater restriction to medication abortions.

The letter was addressed to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Martin Makary. It urged them to review the FDA approval of a generic version of mifepristone. The senators argue that medication abortions can cause risks of serious medical complications, while undermining pro-life laws and states’ rights.

“Every month, thousands of abortion drugs are shipped into states that have otherwise limited access to abortion after Dobbs, degrading pro-life laws at the state level across the country,” the letter states. “Pro-life states have been forced to defend their citizens against radical abortion extremists.”

The Republican senators urge health officials to suspend the approval of new mifepristone generics pending a safety review, reinstate an in-person dispensing requirement for the drug, and suspend the distibution of the drug and its generics.

Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state, and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@gannett.com